Please review your general ideas about the economy and contrast these
with those of your opponent(s).
Response:
In Minnesota, technology is not the problem, the theft of our very valuable
natural resources is.
The biggest problem facing Minnesota today is how our federal and state
governments, with the help of well-funded environmentalists, are using the
Indian to steal land and natural resource wealth from the citizens to whom
they belong.
Sportfishing provides 12 times the economic activity as commercial taking
of fish. Sport anglers will spend approximately $40 to catch a pound of
fillets. By contrast, a commercial netter gets $1.50 per pound. The broker
marks it up to $3.50. So even with the seven times rollover effect, that's
only a $24.50 economic value to the local community for each pound of fish
taken commercially. Compare that to the $280 economic value per pound of
fish generated by an angler staying at a resort.
Forty years ago, Minnesota had close to 4,800 resorts. We also had an
economy that worked. Today we have about 1,000 resorts. Recently, over
twenty resorts folded on Red Lake. Our state leaders stood by while a
handful of Red Lake tribal members commercially overharvested one of the
premier walleye lakes in the world. Unemployment is 65% on the reservation,
35% in Clearwater County, and over 12% in Bemidji - the highest
unemployment rate of any large city in Minnesota! The collapse of our
natural resource base effects every citizen of our state. While many
Minnesotans are saying "We need jobs!" state leaders are saying, "We need
tax reform!" What they mean is they have to tax citizens in the metro area
to create more government programs up north to keep floundering economies
afloat, while with the other hand our state and federal governments are
systematically stealing our lands and natural resource wealth.
The current corrupt federal Indian policy has been coming down the track
for thirty years. It took us sixteen years to make it an issue and begin to
create a platform to deal with it. It may take another sixteen years to get
it fixed. When you try to change government, there is no quick fix.
In my book, voting for either Republican or Democratic candidate is a
wasted vote. Vote for other third party candidates for the legislature,
House of Representatives and President. Vote for me for your U.S. Senator -
I don't owe anybody, and I'm committed to winning the war for our
resources.
I firmly believe our country is going broke, and that there is no plan by
either of the two major parties to fix it.
I also firmly believe that the democratic process has been stolen from the
hard working, overtaxed private sector citizens by a partnership of big
business and big government that runs solely on a platform of "get yours"
greed that has no values or ethics.
Both Wellstone and Boschwitz have millions of dollars in their campaign
coffers and you have not heard one peep out of either candidate about
treaty cases, gill nets, or the government takeover of our land and natural
resource wealth, nor will you.
If you are unhappy with the way your government is treating you, vote for a
third party candidate. All third parties want to restore government to the
people. It's going to take time, but it will send a message which, over
time, will effect change.